Pseudomonas aeruginosa Affects Airway Epithelial Response and Barrier Function During Rhinovirus Infection

In vitro modelling of bacterial pneumonia: a comparative analysis of widely applied complex cell culture models

Bacterial pneumonia greatly contributes to the disease burden and mortality of lower respiratory tract infections among all age groups and risk profiles. Therefore, laboratory modelling of bacterial pneumonia remains important for elucidating the complex host-pathogen interactions and to determine drug efficacy and toxicity. In vitro cell culture enables for the creation of high-throughput, specific disease models in a tightly controlled environment. Advanced human cell culture models specifically, can bridge the research gap between the classical two-dimensional cell models and animal models. This review provides an overview of the current status of the development of complex cellular in vitro models to study bacterial pneumonia infections, with a focus on air-liquid interface models, spheroid, organoid, and lung-on-a-chip models. For the wide scale, comparative literature search, we selected six clinically highly relevant bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus). We reviewed the cell lines that are commonly used, as well as trends and discrepancies in the methodology, ranging from cell infection parameters to assay read-outs. We also highlighted the importance of model validation and data transparency in guiding the research field towards more complex infection models.

Antiviral and antibacterial potential of electrosprayed PVA/PLGA nanoparticles loaded with chlorogenic acid for the management of coronavirus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection

Respiratory tract infections are a common cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The current paper aims to treat this respiratory disorder. Therefore, we elucidated the phytochemical profile of Euphorbia milii flowers and isolated chlorogenic acid (CGA) for the first time. The electrospraying technique was utilized to prepare CGA nanoparticles in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/PLGA polymeric matrix. Complete in vitro characterizations were performed to determine particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, loading efficiency (LE), scanning electron microscopy and in vitro release study. The optimum formula (F2) with a particle size (454.36 ± 36.74 nm), a surface charge (-4.56 ± 0.84 mV), % of LE (80.23 ± 5.74), an initial burst (29.46 ± 4.79) and % cumulative release (97.42 ± 4.72) were chosen for further activities. In the murine lung infection model, PVA/PLGA NPs loaded with CGA (F2) demonstrated in vivo antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Using a plaque assay, the in vitro antiviral activity was investigated. The F2 exhibited antiviral activity against coronavirus (HCoV-229E) and (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), NRCEHKU270). The IC₅₀ of F2 against HCoV-229E and MERS-CoV was 170 ± 1.1 and 223 ± 0.88 µg/mL, respectively. The values of IC₅₀ of F2 were significantly lower (p < .05) than that of free CGA. Therefore, the encapsulation of CGA into electrospray PVA/PLGA NPs would be a promising tool as an antimicrobial agent.

A cooperativity between virus and bacteria during respiratory infections

Respiratory tract infections remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The burden is further increased by polymicrobial infection or viral and bacterial co-infection, often exacerbating the existing condition. Way back in 1918, high morbidity due to secondary pneumonia caused by bacterial infection was known, and a similar phenomenon was observed during the recent COVID-19 pandemic in which secondary bacterial infection worsens the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) condition. It has been observed that viruses paved the way for subsequent bacterial infection; similarly, bacteria have also been found to aid in viral infection. Viruses elevate bacterial infection by impairing the host's immune response, disrupting epithelial barrier integrity, expression of surface receptors and adhesion proteins, direct binding of virus to bacteria, altering nutritional immunity, and effecting the bacterial biofilm. Similarly, the bacteria enhance viral infection by altering the host's immune response, up-regulation of adhesion proteins, and activation of viral proteins. During co-infection, respiratory bacterial and viral pathogens were found to adapt and co-exist in the airways of their survival and to benefit from each other, i.e., there is a cooperative existence between the two. This review comprehensively reviews the mechanisms involved in the synergistic/cooperativity relationship between viruses and bacteria and their interaction in clinically relevant respiratory infections.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa behaviour in polymicrobial communities: The competitive and cooperative interactions conducting to the exacerbation of infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is mostly associated with persistent infections and antibiotic resistance as a result of several factors, biofilms one of them. Microorganisms within the polymicrobial biofilm (PMB) reveal various transcriptional profiles and affect each other which might influence their pathogenicity and antibiotic tolerance and subsequent worsening of the biofilm infection. P. aeruginosa within PMB exhibits various behaviours toward other microorganisms, which may enhance or repress the virulence of these microbes. Microbial neighbours, in turn, may affect P. aeruginosa's virulence either positively or negatively. Such interactions among microorganisms lead to emerging persistent and antibiotic-resistant infections. This review highlights the relationship between P. aeruginosa and its microbial neighbours within the PMB in an attempt to better understand the mechanisms of polymicrobial interaction and the correlation between increased exacerbations of infection and the P. aeruginosa-microbe interaction. Researching in the literature that was carried out in vitro either in co-cultures or in the models to simulate the environment at the site of infection suggested that the interplay between P. aeruginosa and other microorganisms is one main reason for the worsening of the infection and which in turn requires a treatment approach different from that followed with P. aeruginosa mono-infection.

Host cell responses against the pseudomonal biofilm: A continued tale of host-pathogen interactions

In biofilm formation, pathogens within the bacterial community coordinate a cell-cell communication system called quorum sensing (QS). This is achieved through various signalling pathways that regulate bacterial virulence and host immune response. Here, we reviewed the host responses, key clinical implications, and novel therapeutic approaches against the biofilms of P. aeruginosa. Given the high degree of intrinsic antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation by the pathogen, the ensuing treatment complications could result in high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Notwithstanding the availability of intervention strategies, there remains a paucity of effective therapeutic options to control biofilmogenesis. This review discusses the basic understanding of QS-associated virulence factors and several key therapeutic interventions to foil the biofilm menace of P. aeruginosa.

The emerging role of NOTCH3 receptor signalling in human lung diseases

The mammalian respiratory system or lung is a tree-like branching structure, and the main site of gas exchange with the external environment. Structurally, the lung is broadly classified into the proximal (or conducting) airways and the distal alveolar region, where the gas exchange occurs. In parallel with the respiratory tree, the pulmonary vasculature starts with large pulmonary arteries that subdivide rapidly ending in capillaries adjacent to alveolar structures to enable gas exchange. The NOTCH signalling pathway plays an important role in lung development, differentiation and regeneration post-injury. Signalling via the NOTCH pathway is mediated through activation of four NOTCH receptors (NOTCH1-4), with each receptor capable of regulating unique biological processes. Dysregulation of the NOTCH pathway has been associated with development and pathophysiology of multiple adult acute and chronic lung diseases. This includes accumulating evidence that alteration of NOTCH3 signalling plays an important role in the development and pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Herein, we provide a comprehensive summary of the role of NOTCH3 signalling in regulating repair/regeneration of the adult lung, its association with development of lung disease and potential therapeutic strategies to target its signalling activity.